Surprising Allergy from Potent Seasoning in Case Study

(HealthDay News) — Raw garlic can induce immediate hypersensitivity reactions, according to a letter to the editor published in the October issue of the Journal of Dermatology.

Akiko Yagami, M.D., Ph.D., from Fujita Health University School of Medicine in Aichi, Japan, and colleagues describe the case of a 31-year-old woman who reported two episodes of immediate hypersensitivity reactions after ingestion of meals containing raw garlic. Wheals appeared after ingestion of raw grated garlic along with meat and vegetables, and after ingestion of gochujang (Korean red chili paste) and raw garlic. The patient suffered from atopic dermatitis but had no history of food allergy.

The researchers found that the prick and scratch test was positive for edible raw garlic (6 mm × 6 mm), and negative for gochujang and cooked garlic. The wheal induced by 1 percent histamine dihydrochloride as a positive control was 5 mm × 5 mm. On sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting, a protein band was detected with the extract of raw garlic. This band was identified as one of the causative antigens in garlic allergy based on inhibition immunoblotting assay.

"We would like to suggest that it is necessary to educate people that ingested seasonings as well as foodstuffs can cause food-induced immediate hypersensitivity reactions," the authors write.